Several random thoughts:
1. Auburn. The Auburn defeat at the hands of Alabama this past Friday was very painful to watch. I am not a sport authority and don't pretend to be one: I am a fan. This one hurt. I wish Auburn the best in whatever second-tier bowl game they participate in. And for the next four days I am a University of Florida fan as the SEC Championship game comes up this Saturday. Go Gators!
2. C-Span. Watched a couple hours of C-Span this weekend including a segment by a bunch of Political Scientists dissecting the 2008 election cycle. Key take-aways: The size of the Independent vote was larger in 2008 than in recent elections and that Independents were swayed primarily by the War on Terror (Afghanistan and Iraq) and the Economy.
3. Apple. Best Buy is recommending that its Apple buyers get they machines "tuned" before they go out the door. I wonder how long before Mr. Jobs pulls Apple products out of Best Buy.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Anniversary
We are rapidly approaching the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. To Americans of my age, the Berlin Wall was a powerful symbol of everything wrong with socialism.
Yesterday while driving my wife and I discussed the news in general. And, she asked me "how do I tell truth from spin?" A very good question. I noted the current reporting of the terrorist shootings at Fort Hood in Texas. I told her that it was my opinion that the shootings were terrorism - nothing more and nothing less. That she should watch the news and read the news and see which organizations described the shooter as a terrorist and which did not. Wolf Blitzer is particularly amusing when it comes to this overt bias.
Same thing with President Reagan. Reagan never got the respect that he was due, and in fact, his place in history continues to be challenged. Just pay attention to how his legacy is reported: that will tell you everything you need to know.
So, on the anniversary of the falling of the Berlin Wall: a quick reminder about the power of words from someone who was capable of doing more than reading them from a teleprompter.
Yesterday while driving my wife and I discussed the news in general. And, she asked me "how do I tell truth from spin?" A very good question. I noted the current reporting of the terrorist shootings at Fort Hood in Texas. I told her that it was my opinion that the shootings were terrorism - nothing more and nothing less. That she should watch the news and read the news and see which organizations described the shooter as a terrorist and which did not. Wolf Blitzer is particularly amusing when it comes to this overt bias.
Same thing with President Reagan. Reagan never got the respect that he was due, and in fact, his place in history continues to be challenged. Just pay attention to how his legacy is reported: that will tell you everything you need to know.
So, on the anniversary of the falling of the Berlin Wall: a quick reminder about the power of words from someone who was capable of doing more than reading them from a teleprompter.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Hopper
I am saddened to hear that 71 year old kick-ass actor Dennis Hopper has been diagnosed with cancer. Here are a few photos of the man with which to consider his art:
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Thoughts
Another one of those times where there are lot of interesting things going on around me, but none stand out as being worth the effort to research and write about. So, here are some odds and ends:
1. The excerpts that I have seen from the "This is it" movie have shown an engaged, healthy and highly-interacting singer. Jackson did not appear sick. He did not look like the 30 year old dancer/singer which I have locked in my mind since the 1980s. He did look like a very athletic, somewhat thin 50 year old with really good moves.
2. The woman Roman Polanski is alleged to have raped is asking California authorities to drop charges. The media has been a pain to her since this issue with Polanski flared up recently and the tabloids, papers and tee vee outlets have been pestering her and her children. I am mixed with this one. I recognize the need for the woman to have a peaceful life, but crimes are crimes. Those who violate the law have violated social contracts which are superior to individual interests. How about we toss Polanski into California State Prison for a couple of weeks? That should even out the rape thing nicely. Also: I read in the LA Times that Gore Vidal (83 and no longer relevant) believes that poor Mr. Polanski is being harassed because he is a Jew? Really? I thought it was because he was (allegedly) a child rapist.
3. The President did the right thing in visiting Dover AFB early this morning. It would have been a much better thing if he'd done it without cameras and the press corps. The presence of the press corps turns which should have been the President's devotion to those who have given their lives for our country, into a photo op in advance of a policy decision.
1. The excerpts that I have seen from the "This is it" movie have shown an engaged, healthy and highly-interacting singer. Jackson did not appear sick. He did not look like the 30 year old dancer/singer which I have locked in my mind since the 1980s. He did look like a very athletic, somewhat thin 50 year old with really good moves.
2. The woman Roman Polanski is alleged to have raped is asking California authorities to drop charges. The media has been a pain to her since this issue with Polanski flared up recently and the tabloids, papers and tee vee outlets have been pestering her and her children. I am mixed with this one. I recognize the need for the woman to have a peaceful life, but crimes are crimes. Those who violate the law have violated social contracts which are superior to individual interests. How about we toss Polanski into California State Prison for a couple of weeks? That should even out the rape thing nicely. Also: I read in the LA Times that Gore Vidal (83 and no longer relevant) believes that poor Mr. Polanski is being harassed because he is a Jew? Really? I thought it was because he was (allegedly) a child rapist.
3. The President did the right thing in visiting Dover AFB early this morning. It would have been a much better thing if he'd done it without cameras and the press corps. The presence of the press corps turns which should have been the President's devotion to those who have given their lives for our country, into a photo op in advance of a policy decision.
Friday, October 23, 2009
LA
I reconnected with my inner-automotive-self this morning as I cruised down the Sepulvada pass at 80 miles per hour in Los Angeles.
Having moved from California ten years ago I have not made it back to the Golden State except on rare occasion and this morning’s drive was like coming home again. My rental car, a Chevrolet Aveo S struggled to get to speed but once there was able to maintain highway speeds.
So, there I was in pack of cars hurtling down the freeway, five feet off the bumper ahead of me at 80 miles an hour: sublime.
There were other things, besides excessive highway speeds which struck me during my brief trip back:
* There was a lot more graffiti on the public property than I recall. Quite a few signs were illegible due to gang tagging.
* For a state teetering on bankruptcy the sports bar I visited was packed. I dined at BJ’s in Oxnard on Monday evening and had to wait 30 minutes to be seated. I thought California was in a recession.
* Brown. I forgot how many shades of brown there are there - California is essentially a desert state save for the water the SOCALs steal from the North.
Bottom line: Maybe one can truly never go “home again”, but you can always visit.
Having moved from California ten years ago I have not made it back to the Golden State except on rare occasion and this morning’s drive was like coming home again. My rental car, a Chevrolet Aveo S struggled to get to speed but once there was able to maintain highway speeds.
So, there I was in pack of cars hurtling down the freeway, five feet off the bumper ahead of me at 80 miles an hour: sublime.
There were other things, besides excessive highway speeds which struck me during my brief trip back:
* There was a lot more graffiti on the public property than I recall. Quite a few signs were illegible due to gang tagging.
* For a state teetering on bankruptcy the sports bar I visited was packed. I dined at BJ’s in Oxnard on Monday evening and had to wait 30 minutes to be seated. I thought California was in a recession.
* Brown. I forgot how many shades of brown there are there - California is essentially a desert state save for the water the SOCALs steal from the North.
Bottom line: Maybe one can truly never go “home again”, but you can always visit.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Missing
I note that I have never seen the network news channels pick up and carry the story of lost, exploited or missing children of color.
It was during my MBA at the University of Maryland where we were challenged by a day-long discussion of ethics. It was not until the afternoon session that race relations were finally discussed - uncomfortably so. Our class was a very diverse group but even among those there was a reluctance to dive into this sensitive issue. We grabbed the third-rail of politics and dove in.
Maybe the ethics session worked because a few days ago I was made uncomfortable again when I happened upon a site which focused on lost and missing individuals of color. The site does what local and national news organizations are unable to do: focus on the lost, missing and murdered among the African American community.
So the next time you see lawyers and reporters yelling at each other on tee-vee about a missing child: think about the children you are not hearing about as their plight is as real and as dire.
It was during my MBA at the University of Maryland where we were challenged by a day-long discussion of ethics. It was not until the afternoon session that race relations were finally discussed - uncomfortably so. Our class was a very diverse group but even among those there was a reluctance to dive into this sensitive issue. We grabbed the third-rail of politics and dove in.
Maybe the ethics session worked because a few days ago I was made uncomfortable again when I happened upon a site which focused on lost and missing individuals of color. The site does what local and national news organizations are unable to do: focus on the lost, missing and murdered among the African American community.
So the next time you see lawyers and reporters yelling at each other on tee-vee about a missing child: think about the children you are not hearing about as their plight is as real and as dire.
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